


lay your weary head to rest

by rivalelaine



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2020-03-13 03:45:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18932746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rivalelaine/pseuds/rivalelaine
Summary: don't you cry no more.— He's exhausted, and he doesn't know why his destiny is to risk his life at every turn for a kingdom he doesn't remember. (The goddess who cursed him can't answer him, either.)But he fights, and he fights, and he fights.[Songfic | Carry on My Wayward Son by Kansas]





	lay your weary head to rest

_Masquerading as a man with a reason_  
_My charade is the event of the season_  
_And if I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know  
_

* * *

He is tired.

(There was always this nagging feeling of a part of him missing something when he was at ease, the melancholy he was yet to understand. It bothered him greatly before he began his journey, but now that his eyes are weary and his head is in shambles, he does not know if taking on this "destiny" was the right choice at all.)

Truly, he is exhausted.

(But he doesn't want to show it. The weight of the world is on his shoulders, and so many—sincere or not, he does not know if he cares—rely on him. It's a burden he must bear—and he's what? A child who was thrust into danger.)

Somewhere, a goddess sheds a tear.

* * *

_On a stormy sea of moving emotion_  
_Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean_  
_I set a course for winds of fortune, but I hear the voices say_

* * *

And so he fights again. (His flesh burns and his voice runs dry, but he fights, and he fights, and he fights—)

When his enemies are finally defeated, his body slinks back down as he lets himself breathe for a moment. (It's been months and there's been no significant progress; he does admit that he's gotten a bit stronger, a bit more courageous, but what's the use when he can't even comprehend what's pushing him so far? Memories of the dead?)

He sighs as he lies back down on the grass. (Courage. Strength. Purpose.)

He starts to believe he's praying to deaf ears.

* * *

_Carry on my wayward son_  
_For there'll be peace when you are done_  
_Lay your weary head to rest_  
_Don't you cry no more_

* * *

Breathe, breathe, breathe—

Pick up your sword— 

Fight— (For what? For who?)

For those you used to cherish, and those you cherish now.

* * *

He is calm. (His eyes are heavy, he's losing too much blood—)  
  
But he is calm.

"Link, please, don't—don't die on me!"  
  
In his final moments, Zelda embraces him, but when he opens his eyes once again, he sees a figure who reminds him so much of her. 

* * *

_Carry on, you will always remember_  
_Carry on, nothing equals the splendor_  
_Now your life's no longer empty_  
_Surely heaven waits for you_

**Author's Note:**

> ah man i don't know where to start ,,, this was pretty fun to write! i love link a lot, and he's got a lottttt on his plate. my smol boi really needs a break


End file.
